Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary
Geoffrey Cain
May 2026 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by James Fouhey
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12 hr 11 min
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The Untold Story of Steve Jobs's Wilderness Years—and the Creation of a Legend
In 1985, Steve Jobs—the brilliant, volatile founder of Apple Computer—walked out of his company's headquarters, driven from the very corporation he had created. What happened next would transform not only his life and career, but the future of technology itself.
For twelve years, from 1985 to 1997, Jobs wandered the business wilderness with his new venture, NeXT. It was a period of spectacular failures, near-bankruptcy, and brutal humiliation. But out of this crucible of defeat emerged the visionary leader who would go on to create the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, transforming Apple into the most valuable company on earth.
Drawing on previously unpublished materials and new interviews with the key players, Geoffrey Cain reveals the untold story of Steve Jobs's "lost decade"—the formative years that shaped the icon we thought we knew. With unprecedented access to unbroadcast footage of Jobs in NeXT meetings, private company documents, and interviews with his closest colleagues, Cain offers the definitive account of how failure transformed a brash wunderkind into a true business genius.
This is the story of how Steve Jobs learned to lead, how he discovered the power of discipline, and how a spectacular failure became the foundation for one of the greatest comebacks in business history. It is nothing less than the missing piece in the legend of Steve Jobs.
In 1985, Steve Jobs—the brilliant, volatile founder of Apple Computer—walked out of his company's headquarters, driven from the very corporation he had created. What happened next would transform not only his life and career, but the future of technology itself.
For twelve years, from 1985 to 1997, Jobs wandered the business wilderness with his new venture, NeXT. It was a period of spectacular failures, near-bankruptcy, and brutal humiliation. But out of this crucible of defeat emerged the visionary leader who would go on to create the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, transforming Apple into the most valuable company on earth.
Drawing on previously unpublished materials and new interviews with the key players, Geoffrey Cain reveals the untold story of Steve Jobs's "lost decade"—the formative years that shaped the icon we thought we knew. With unprecedented access to unbroadcast footage of Jobs in NeXT meetings, private company documents, and interviews with his closest colleagues, Cain offers the definitive account of how failure transformed a brash wunderkind into a true business genius.
This is the story of how Steve Jobs learned to lead, how he discovered the power of discipline, and how a spectacular failure became the foundation for one of the greatest comebacks in business history. It is nothing less than the missing piece in the legend of Steve Jobs.
The Untold Story of Steve Jobs's Wilderness Years—and the Creation of a Legend
In 1985, Steve Jobs—the brilliant, volatile founder of Apple Computer—walked out of his company's headquarters, driven from the very corporation he had created. What happened next would transform not only his life and...
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About the author
Geoffrey Cain is an award-winning author and correspondent who sits down with world leaders, tech founders, and dissidents. His book Samsung Rising was longlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year, and The Perfect Police State was named NPR’s “Book of the Day.” He appears in The Wall Street Journal, Time, The Economist, and Wired and has been featured on CNN and Bloomberg TV. He also advises executives and government officials on innovation.
Geoffrey Cain is an award-winning author and correspondent who sits down with world leaders, tech founders, and dissidents. His book Samsung Rising was longlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year, and The Perfect Police State was named NPR’s “Book of the Day.” He app...
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